Radium-carrying device



Aug. 19, 1 24; 11,505,209

F. LEACH ET AL RADIUM CARRYING DEVI CE Filed May 12, 1922 AZLerZA Leach. fraud: ZLeQcia.

61114 01 mug Patented Aug. 19, 1924.

STATES FRANCIS I. LEACH AND unsafnQnmcn, or 'rYBonE, nEw MEXICO.

RADIUM-CARRYING DEVICE.

Application filed Kay 12, 1922. Serial No. 580,480.

, T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANCIS I. LEACH' and ALBEirr 'A. LEACH, citizens of the United 7 States, residing at Tyrone, in the county of Grant and State of New Mexico, have 1nvented certain new and-useful Improvements in Radium-Carrying Devices, of

binder.

which the following is a specification. I

The present invention relates to a device for carrying radioactive substances, which are employed in impregnating water with the emanations from such substances.

An important object of the invention is to provide a device of the above mentioned character, so constructed that the radioactive substance is carried near the outside of an inert binder, and hence discharges all of the emanations into the water, and prevents occlusion of gases. I

In accordance with the invention we provide a device or plaque, embodying a metal container, which receives and holds an inert The top of the metal container is entirely open except for a surrounding flange and the radioactive substance is fixed near the exposed surface only of the binder. The plaque is adapted to be immersed 1n water, and of course in contact therewith.

The emanations discharging from the radioactive substance passes into the water, and impregnates the same, so that the water becomes charged with the emanations. The water thus charged has therapeutic, properties, as is well known.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a device or plaque embodying our invention,

Fig. 2 is a transverse'section through the same, and,

Fig. 3 is an edge elevation of the same.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodi ment of our invention, the numeral 5 designates a container, which is preferably made I of a single section of sheet metal, preferably sterling silver. This container is pref-i erably circular and is generally fiat with its bottom completely closed, and its top provided with an overhanging flange 6. Of course the container may be made in other shapes; While it is preferred to use silver, the container may be made of other metals, or even of other materials, such as glass.

Within the container 5 is held the inert filler and binder 7, which is preferably formed of kieselguhr, althou h any other suitable inert material may lie employed. This inert material also contains a suitable cement binder, so that when the mass sets and hardens, it will remain permanent in its .shape. The numeral 8 desi nates the radioactive substances, which is Xed near the exposed upper surface only of theinert filler. This radioactive substance maybe in the form of any of the well known radium salts,

such as radium sulfate, radium carbonate or any of the radium salts or compounds or any of the thorium or actinium compounds, soluble or insoluble. As before stated, the radioactive substance is fixed near the exposed surface of the binder, and by this is meant that the radioactive substance is arranged in a thin sheet near and slightly In the use of the device or la ue, it may Y be inserted into an ordinary r'in ing glass, bath tub or the like, containing water to be charged, and allowed to remain therein for a suitable length of time.

It-is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape,

size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of our invention or, the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A device'for use in discharging gaseous radium emanations from radioactive substances into water, comprising a rotecting container having one side close and the opposite side open, an inert porous filler held within the container with one side exposed at the open side of the container, said exposed side being of a character to permit the free outward dischargeof the gaseous radium emanations, and a radioactive substance fixed in the porous inert filler suitably near the exposed porous face thereof to permit of the proper discharge of the gaseous radium emanations through the face of the fillerto the exterior thereof.

2. A' plaque for main discharging gas eous radium emanations from radioactive surface of. a substantial area and of a char-l acter to permit the free outward discharge of the gaseous radium emanations, and a layer of radioactive substance embeddedin the porous inert filler near and beneath the exposed porous face thereof, said exposed porous face covering the radioactive sub stance and permitting of the proper discharge of the gaseous radium emanations throu h the same to the exterior thereof.

3; device for use in dischar 'ng g aseous radium emanations from ra io active substances into water, comprising a relatively shallow container of a non-corrodible material having one side closed and the free edges of'the open side inturned, a block of inert porous material retained within the container with its exposed face of a character to permit the free outward discharge of the gaseous radium emanations, and a radio active substance held within the block beneath the exposed face thereof.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signature.

FRANCIS I. LEACH. ALBERT A. LEACH. 

